Combination-tool.



,- UNITED `STATES Patented May 31, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST WAGNIEEE AND GEORGE W. VAN ALsrYNE, or Los ANGELES,

-GALIEoENLa;I

'coMBmATloN-Tool..

SPECIFICATION forming part afnemers Patent No. "761,272, dated May 31, 1904. A

Y Application filed April 24,1902. Serial No. 104,550. (No model.)

T0 `1r/ZZ whom, it may concern:

and GEORGE W. VAN `ALs'rYNE, both citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of (la-lifornia, have invented` a newand useful Ivmprovement in Combination-Tools, of which the following is a specification.

`Our invention relates tocombination-tools,` and more particularly to that class of instru-v ments used for measuringsizes and angles.

The object of our invention is to produce atool of but few parts, which can'be secured together with sulicient rigidity to secure per-` fect accuracy, but which may be quickly loosened and reset for any of its many uses.

A further object is to construct a wire-gage that can be readily collapsed into a compact andy desirable form for carrying inthe'pocket;

With these and other objectsin. View the invention consists, broadly, in so :constructing and securing two members together as to formN a Wire-gage, a square, a'bevel-'squara and a protractor; and it consists specifically in the improved construction and vnovel arrange-3 ment of the parts of acornbination-tool as will4 behereinafter more .fully set forth. The accompanying vdrawings illustrate thev invention.

Figure Lis a plan view of one form ofA our improved gage, protractor,and square,the full lines showing it, as a gage and the dottedlines as a protvractor and square. Fig. Il is a sitifilar` view with the parts differently positioned and used fora protractor and a square. Fig. III is a plan of thelegs separated,utl ie.legs partly broken away. FigsllVandgVare plan views of the boltand washer,grespectively. -Figs.:

v VI and VH are sectional y.views of thejoints- Figs. VIII, IX, X, and XI are detail views. In Figs. l and II the movable flange isshown' partially Withdrawn and broken to avoid obscuring other parts of the view. r.- f

Referring more particularly -to the1drawings, l and 2 designate the two.. legs of our improved combination-tool, whichare .perforated and pivotally secured together at one end,

.- as by means of a pivot 3. The legs'A are preferably each formed` from a thin flat piece of suitable metal, and their pivoted ends are Be it known that We, AUGUST WAGNIERE preferably providedwith circular heads 4 and 5, respectively. These heads are preferably the other and' give la good broad bearing toy secure accuracy in' adjustment. By making the inner depression a trifle deeper than the Vouter one a slight space 7 is left' between the edges of the head 4 and the base of the head 5, whereby any lost motion, as from wear ofV theparts, can be taken up'by forcing the outer head down over the inner head. It Willalso permitof the heads being forced or wedg'gf'ed'- together with suicient friction to :prevent movement of the parts after they have been. adjusted or set. f

The pivot-3 is preferably in theiform o f a bolt with a thumb-nut the headof whichfis large and fiat, so as to fit within tle'r'ecessV 6 of the lower leg and engage 'with the bottom of the recess with as large an area as possible, `I thereby securing a good strong clamp and'at the same time causmg the-'entire head to he` wholly within vthe recess to permit of the tool being placed flat upon a smooth surface. The

nutof the-bolt or pivot hasa broad flat bearying-surfabe'to correspond with the head of the pivotf-andrestsagainst the upper surface' 'of the depressed portion of the upper leg." lThe upper]'portionof'l the nut maybe rougliened or-mi'lled, as shownat 8, toenable tliefoperf ator to secure a firm` grip on` the nutfor tightening or loosening the pivot. The upper end of the bolt may be headed orvslightlyfupsetlorspread, as shownat 9, after the nut has beenscrewed into place to prevent the removal.and-possible lossof lthe nut and lalso to form a limfit'infloosening'the nut to reset the instrument,'thereby avoiding the liability of moving thefparts in turning the nut through best done by slightly cuppingvthe end of the .more than a partial rotation or suficientto" loosen and tighten the-nut. The upsetting is bolt, as at 10, and then slightlyspreading yhead 5, Fig. VI, to yieldingly hold the heads `tion of the nut cannot swing the upper leg upon its pivot in tightening the nut' to set the tool.

' resultis by providing the washer with a tongue z. I-S

14, which its within a longitudinal groove in theyside of the bolt. When the tool ,is to be used as awire-gage,

fas shown in Fig. I, the adjacent edges of the two legs are graduated, as shown at 16 and 17, one of which graduations. is for indicating the sizes of the wire or other article being engaged or measured and the other side is graduated to indicate the fractional parts of an inch, as the thousandths, to indicatethe diameter of the article. The free ends of the legs are held at the correct distance apart to` form a V-sliaped space 18 between the legs, within which the article to be measured is placed, and moved toward the apex of the space until it is engaged by the edges of both legs. If the article stops at one of the wire-y graduations, it is called by the lnumber indicating'that size; but if it stops ata point upon either side of such graduation its size or.

diameter is read from the graduations upon the other leg, indicating the fractional parts of an inch, or its size can be read in parts of an inch at all times and the wire-graduations ignored. vBy combining these two features in a single instrument a very useful and con-` venient tool can be furnished to the workman without Vadding materially to its cost. In this connection means are provided for holding the legs in position for forming a wiregage, said means normally permitting the legs to swing freely, but adapted to retain them in a delinite position, to which they may be inv y stantly adjusted and wherein their inner edges form an-acute angle. One means for holding the legs in position to form a wire-gage is to pivotally secure a link 19 at one end to one leg and provide its opposite end with a shoulf der, as a pin or projection 20, which is adapted.

to releasably engage with a stop or fit within a hole 21 in the end of the other leg of the instrument. The link is preferably located 'at or near the end opposite the pivot, so that if any slight play occurs at the ends of the link the extent of the angle between the legs will be but little affected thereby. The length of the link and the position of the pin and perforations relatively to eachother'are so proportioned or adjusted as to hold the legs at the desired distance apart. When the instrument is to be used for other purposes than as a wire-gage or is to be collapsed for carry- One form of accomplishing this re.

ing in the pocket, the free end of the link can be swung around onto the leg to which it is pivoted and be secured thereon by letting the pin enter a perforation 22. In its collapsed form'the wire-gage is smooth and compact and has no V-shaped angle liable to catch upon things carried with it in the pocket. By forming the link from a thin flat strip of spring metal the pin will be yieldingly held in either perforation against accidental displacement.' s

In adapting the instrument for use as a protractor or square the head of the lower leg is preferably attened beyond the recessed portion, as at 28, and graduated, as at 24, with marks and numbers to indicate the degree of a circle, the graduations extending round a completel circle, and the head of the upper leg .is'provided with one or moreindicators,

asia shoulder 25 or mark 26. In practice we have found it very convenient to useonly the numbers indicating ninety degrees or the quarter of a circle. This will necessitate using the same numbers four times, and we prefer to larrange the numbers on the opposite halves of the circle as duplicates of each other and also to arrange the numbers of any two adjacentquarters to increase or decrease in opposite directions from a common point. In the drawings we have shown two zeropoints diametrically opposite each other and on a direct line with thev inner edge of the leg 1 and two ninety-degree points diametrically opposite each other and each midway between the zero-points. The numbers on the end or outer portion of the head'read in each direction from zero upward, as L15, 30, f 45, &c., and those upon the inner portion begin at that zero-point and run in the same order in each direction toward the ninety-degree marks at the sides of the heads. When two indicators are used, they are preferably located at ninety degrees orat a quarter of a circleapart, which will permit of the readings being made from the markthat is most convenient to the operator. The slioulder 25 extends out over the scale, and by arranging it at right angles to the inner edge of the leg. 2 it will normally stand directly over the ninety-degree mark when the instrument is closed, while the mark 26 will point to the outer. zero-mark. yAs the legs are swung on their pivots the two indicators will move over the scales in such manner that the numbers adjacent to one of them will be increasing, while those adjacent tothe other one will be decreasing, -or vice versa. The inner edge of each of the legs is parallel with the outer edge and also on a direct radial linel with the center of the pivot, which will cause the inner edges to Contact throughout their entire length when the instrument is closed and will also cause the two outer edges to lie parallel with each other. It will also permit of either IOO IIO

edge being used for the purpose of drawinglgo ment upon or within the angle to be measured,

as the angle `can be read upon the protractorscale in one instance as easily and correctly as in the other. In`- either case the instrument can berused as a square by swingingthe legsat right anglesto each other, as indicated in dotted lines in Figs. I and II, or as a bevelsquare when the legs stand atothenthan l right-angles to each other.

To increase the utility of the instrument vided with graduations to indicate inches and -fractional parts thereof, as indicated at 27 and veach other.

and 28. This will enable the legs to be used as al rule, either separately or together, asl when the two legs are swung into line with scale, the head` 4 is preferably made with a radius a trifle less than the width of the leg,V whereby a shoulder 29 is formed at the ninety-l degree mark on the head of the scale. q will prevent the marks of the two scales conflicting with each other to such an extent as, to be confusing. To cause the outside edgesl of the legs to lie in thesame' plane orl in a line with each other when the legs'are eX- tended into a straight line, the shoulder 25 of the leg 2 is extended beyond'the edge of the head 4 the same distance that the shoulder 29 projects from it. The shoulder 29 ispreferably formed at one of the inch-graduations,` and thus facilitates its use as a rule, as the shoulder can be placed at the point from which the measurement is to be made.

Instead of constructing the parts as above describedit is evident'that changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit of our invention. For instance, the link can be omitted when it is not desired lto adapt the'instrument 'for use as a wire-gage, or the depression 6 might be omitted and the two heads could be perfectly ilat and clamped together by the pivot-bolt, as shown in Fig.

IX, and one of them could lbe provided with a pointed indicator 30, as in Fig. VIH, in position to sweep around the protractor-.scale, or the pivotal bolt may be reversed, and the nut 31 can be an ordinary wing-nut and be seated within the recess in the lower leg, as shown in Fig. VH, or one of thelegs, as l, could be provided with a flange 32, as shown in Figs. X and Xl. Said flange has on one or both sides of the leg an inner shoulder, which pro-- jects laterally and at a right angle tothe side of the leg to engage with the edge of a table or other object and increase the efficiency of the instrument when used as a -bevel or tryy square. The flange is preferably made re- '."in the leg. tangular 1n cross-section, and the edges are far To 'prevent the inch-scale on thev leg l 'from interfering with the protractor-j This movable, as by providing one or both sides of the leg with a longitudinal groove 33, within lwhich the edges of the flange fit, and prevent the lateral-movement of the flange from off the leg. The flange is preferably formed 'by doubling or folding the edges of a strip of metal over toward eachother until they nearly touch and at asullicient distance from the back to permit ofl their entering the groove The `iiange is substantially recenough from the back to give stability when in'position, and the back is provided with suitable ime'ans, as slight projections 34C, for engaging with the edge of the leg and holding the 'flange at a` right angle to the leg. Y groove is preferably formed to the rear ofthe shorter graduations on the leg, but not the longer ones,'thereby causing all of the graduations to appear between the groove and the edge of the leg, but only the longer ones appearing beyond the groove. By constructing the parts in this manner the flange can be easily put on or taken olf the leg at any time, and it can be placed in positiongeither end forward 'and either edge up. The flange is .preferably formed from thin spring metal, so

that by having the edges stand normally closer together than the thickness ofv the leg to be placed between them when the flange is in position the edges will be sprung slightly apart and will thereby engage with the leg by frictional contact. If desired, it can be made shorter than the leg, so' that when it is in position the instrument can be used as a bevelsquare when the legs are crossed withoutthe inclined leg coming in contact with the end of the flange, or the flange can be partly removed to permit of this use of the instrument.

As above described, it is evident that our improved combination-tool can be quickly and cheaply formed, as the legscan be stamped from suitable sheet metal, recessed, perforated, and'graduated, complete and then be secured together with a single pivotal bolt, with the addition of a spring-washer at the pivot and a link at the other end. Itis so simple that it can bequickly changed to adapt it for any one of its varied uses and then be used by any operator. It is light and will -:take up but little room, and being adapted to claim,`and desire to secure by Letters Patentv of the United States, is-` l. A combination-tool comprising two graduated legs revolubly secured together at one end, each leg being provided at its pivotal end with a circular head arranged to revolve on theother, one head being provided with a com- Yplete circle of graduations and the other one The IOO

with means for indicating degrees of said circle and means to connect the free ends of said legs for holding them apart.

2. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being provided at, its pivotal end-with a circularly-dished head arranged to revolve on the other, one head having a flattened portion and provided with a complete circle of graduations, and the other head being provided with means for indicating degrees of said circle.

3. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being provided at its pivotal end with a recessed circular head, the recessed portions being frusto-conical and fitting one within the other, one of the heads having a flattened portion and being provided with a complete circle of graduations around the recessed portion, and the other head being provided with means for indicating degrees of said circle.

4. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, eachy leg being provided at its pivotal end with a recessed circular head, the recessed portions being frusto-conical and fitting one within the other, the bottom head having a flattened portion and provided with a complete circle of graduations around the recessed portion, and the upper head being provided with means for indicating degrees of said circle andrecessed to a less depth than the bottom head, whereby a space is formed between its edge and the base of the other head and means for forcing said heads together.

5. A combination-tool comprising twok legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being provided at its pivotal end with a ycircularly-dished circular head arranged to revolve on the other head, one head being provided with a complete circle of graduations and the other one with means for indicating degrees of said circle, the graduations being divided into four equal parts and numbered, the numbers on any two adjacent quarters being arranged in the same order in opposite directions from a common point.

6. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being perforated at its pivotal end and provided with a recessed circular head, said heads fitting one within the other, a bolt through said perforations, the head of which is flat and fits within the recess of the inner head, a nut on the bolt, and a spring-washer between the nut and the top of the recessed portion of the outer head.

7 A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being perforated at its pivotal end and provided with a recessed head, said heads fitting one within the other, a bolt through said perforations, the head of which is flat and fits withinthe recess of the inner head, the oppositeend of said bolt being cupped and swaged, a nut on the bolt, and means for holding the heads together yieldingly.

8. Acombination-.tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, each leg being perforated at its pivotal end and provided with a recessed` head, said heads fitting one within the other, a longitudinally-recessed non-rotatable bolt through said perfo-- rations, the head of which fits within the recess of the inner head, a nut on the bolt, and a spring washer between the nut and the upper head and provided with a tongue to fit within the groove of the bolt.

9. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally'secured together at one end, each leg being perforated and provided at its pivotal end with a recessed head, said heads fitting one within the other, and one of them being provided with a projection, a bolt through said perforations, the head of which lits within the recessed head and is recessed for the reception of said projection, a nut on the bolt, and a non-rotatable washer between the nut and the upper head.

l0. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end and provided with protractor-markings near the pivotal point, one of the legs being grooved longitudinally near one edge, and a flange rectangular in cross -section removably secured upon said leg, the inner edges of the iiange being folded over toward each other so as to form lateral projections on each side of the leg and adapted to' engage with the grooved portion of the leg.

11. A combination-tool comprising two legs pivotally secured together at one end, and a longitudinally-movable flange removably secured on one of the legs, the edges of the flange being `folded over toward each other and the back being provided with projections for engaging with opposite sides ofthe leg.

12. An attachment for squares comprising a removable ange, the edges of which are folded toward each other and normally stand at a distance from each other and from the back, and the back being provided with projections for engaging with the sides ofthe leg and holding the iiange at right angles to the leg whenthe attachment is in position.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses, at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, this 18th day of April,

AUGUST WAGNIERE. GEORGE W. VAN ALSTYNE.

Witnesses:

W. S. BOYD, F. M. TowNsnND.

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